


Fall At The New Dawn

by WackyEldritchBeing



Series: The Only Witcher Cyberpunk!AU We Truly Need [1]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Angst, Augmentations (Deus Ex), Canon-Typical Violence, I don't ship the wolf boys they're familial and platonic here, Sort Of, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:01:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26803315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WackyEldritchBeing/pseuds/WackyEldritchBeing
Summary: "I've never had a choice of what happened to me..."
Relationships: Eskel & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia
Series: The Only Witcher Cyberpunk!AU We Truly Need [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954744





	Fall At The New Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided to resurrect it... wonder what I'll do next

"Never thought you'd be on a meeting like this."

"Never thought you'll be a bodyguard."

Sigh.

"I'm not a bodyguard, Wolf," he said. "I'm still a witcher, just have a stable pay and roof over my head now."

"Can you elaborate?"

"I aid in labs in case something nasty spawns, provide security during fieldwork, hunt creatures for alchemical ingredients... Not much changed honestly."

"You had exactly that at Corvo-"

"We've settled this down already."

A moment of silence.

"So, you mind telling me how you ended up here?'"

"Last year's income exceeded everyone's expectations and we already have enough resources to provide plentiful harvests for next five years."

"So you, as you said, a simple winemaker, decided to donate excess money into further research of magical body augmentations."

"Why shouldn't I? It can improve quality of life for many people-"

"Knowing that army will get everything first."

White-haired man was unsure how to respond. Instead he watched his friend aimlessly playing with a pencil.  _ Anxious... _

"Yes, yes I know."

"First thing they're going to do is researching how they can use it all in warfare, just like it is with any other new technology, Geralt. Civilians will at most get leftovers and low-tier junk."

"Something's not right?"

"Are you really-"

"I'm asking about you."

The look of confusion appeared on his damaged face, revealing the right answer.

"Hmm, Maybe you haven't changed as much as I thought."

"What do you mean?" He looked at his friend suspiciously.

"Something bugs you, I know it."

"It's... It's nothing."

Both men stayed in silence for a brief moment, Eskel almost ready to just spring up from his seat and get out.

"You don't need to worry about me."

"Brother..."

He sighed, leaned back again and turned his gaze away from the other witcher.

Obviously plagued by the words he was about to say, he closed his eyes and left out a sigh of discomfort.

"They want me to get augmented."

"What!?"

"I don't know, Geralt, I don't want it. I'm not ready."

They both fell silent.

"Look, I know it's not eas-"

A sound of explosion interrupted him.

"You have to get out of here, now," he said sharply, quickly getting up and grabbing his sword.

"But-"

"You're worth too much."

Before White-haired witcher could respond in any way, his friend ran out of the room.

~

"Brennan? Brennan!" he called holding his telecommunicator.

" _ Witcher, is that you? _ "

"Yes, what just happened?"

" _ Someone blew up a hole in the right wing and they're- Oh gods, they're heading towards our labs. _ "

He took a brief moment to slow down and listen.  _ Upper floors, heavy footsteps and clank of metal. Got it. _

"Guards can manage?"

" _ Uhh, I think s- Wait. _ "

Footsteps and shouts got louder like if they were coming here.

"What?" he asked hiding behind a corner.

His medallion started shaking.  _ Shit. _

" _ They leave magical traces. Very prominent ones to be more specific _ "

"Rouge mages?"

" _ I'm not sure, but either we have a whole herd of them or just one that brought something big. _ "

_ I forgot my silver sword. _

~

_ There's five of them, they have gunpowder. Hell, whoever is their chief must be filthy rich. _

It all started with a hole in the wall.

Attackers started coming from freshly-made entrance, leaving him no way to run away. But he remained steady, with sword in his hand, patiently waiting for armed men to come closer.

Everything seemed to slow down.

They cornered him, each in uniformly red tabards with a white rose in flames covering a mail hauberk, each with a standard arming sword and a buckler, only one with what seemed to be a matchlock pistol. Then one of them raised his hand ordering the rest to wait.

_ Foolish move... _

In split second the individual was down, from sliced neck came nothing but wet gurgling and dark blood.

And then the hell went loose.

First man got closer for a thrust. A quick step to the side and a stab between the ribs to leave him on the floor. Another man coming, covering himself with a small shield and already swinging his blade. This one was more aware of how dangerous his opponent was, almost deflecting a cut from the much faster mutant and trying to keep up with his quick moves. With rapid casting of Aard he knocked the shield out of man's grip, making him exposed. Grasping halfway through the longsword's blade he made a thrust right into the helmet's eye slot. Only two men standing. Witcher reduced the distance between him and the knight with a pirouette, blade sprung against the buckler man raised above his head. Even just a mere moment was enough to keep the witcher busy and vulnerable. The exact moment tip of his blade dug deep into man's armpit he heard a sound of explosion coming from the left and instantly he felt something slashing his side hard enough to make him loose balance. The little time before he could retrieve his sword was just enough for the last knight to advance and knock him down with a kick. Attacker raised the blade above his head, thinking the witcher on the floor is stunned. Suddenly witcher casted another Aard, this time strong enough to blow the knight over.

Getting up he hissed in pain. Area around the laceration right below ribs was getting warmer and wetter with every moment, slowly expanding in every direction. He touched the bloodied flesh gently, carefully searching for entry wound.  _ Oh, thank gods _ , he thought when he found out no such thing was present. 

There was still one knight left.

With eyes fixed on the dizzy man, he pulled out his sword from the corpse and grabbed it in half.  _ Breath in. Breath out. It fucking hurts... _ STRIKE! Blade slipped neatly into the eye slot and dug into knight's brain, making him shake while the last bits of life left him completely.

He sheathed his sword and reached to his pocket in search of any potion he could take now.

But the fact is, he had nothing. Not even a drop of Swallow.

He felt bleeding lessened but wound still could take hours to fully close. But he had no time to waste, not now.

"Brennan? How's the situation?" he spoke up after pulling out the telecommunicator.

" _ Not good, witcher, not good. But at least we know what leaves most of the traces. _ "

"And?"

" _ We've spotted one mage and they're making a portal. Big portal to be precise. _ "

"Who are you talking to?" Geralt appeared behind him suddenly, holding a bec de corbin with drips of blood still on the hammerhead.

"Geralt? I told you to leave-"

"Thought you may need some help."

" _ Wait, who is that? _ "

"Geralt of Rivia, pleasure to meet you."

" _ Wha-What is he doing here? _ "

"I can hear you!"

" _ Conference was supposed to be tommorrow, why are you here?! _ "

"Got information that my brother works here now, wanted to visit him."

"I didn't know-"

" _ It's not important now. Mage's in the labs, go and stop him before he summons anything nasty. _ "

After that the device fell silent.

"Eskel, Eskel... Never expected you to be so up-to-date with technology."

"Things changed."

~

It definitely wasn't a normal golem. Lumbering beast shone brightly in the light of teleport, looking more enchanted than any construct they've ever seen. At the end of it's arm there was a massive spiked flail dangling on a heavy chain. And all that meant only one thing. They were fucked.

"We have to get past it. Any ideas?" Geralt spoke up, slightly leaning out of their cover.

"Don't know yet," he said and did the same thing. "Guess one of us will have to distract it a bit."

White-haired man looked at him questioningly.

"Please, don't tell me you don't know."

"Oh, come on, it's just a golem-"

" ** Shiny ** golem."

"Quartz?"

"Too many cubes for quartz, looks like halite-"

"A witcher, tech-nerd and now also a geologist, huh? Know-it-all, as usual."

Monster left out a low, harsh groan and stomped fiercely. Another cracks on the floor appeared.

"Geralt, for fuck's sake, cooperate."

Another growl. It noticed them.

"GO!"

The first to run out from hide was Geralt. With one leap he approached the beast from behind and hit it with the hammerhead.  _ RUN! _ Beast swung it's spiked weapon at him.  _ Evade... _ Another missed hit and monster rumbled in anger. Pirouette and another strike, shards of salt fell from the rest of it's body. White Wolf during fights was truly a pleasure to watch...

_ It still. Fucking. Hurts. Breathe in, breathe out, idiot. Focus, focus, FOCUS NOW! _

Running past the cover, Eskel charged towards the golem with sword in his hand and  _ murder _ flickering in his eyes. Wide cut from the left and more shards fell off. Beast swung it's flail again. Spiked metal ball hit the floor and cracked it even more. Slash from the back and then a hammerhead strike. And then another. And another. Now everything was covered in salty dust. Strikes from every direction made the monster batter everything with it's weapon even more.

It was a matter of split second when he was sent flying by the crystalline beast. He felt fire flooding his whole body when he hit the wall across the hall and then fell down to the floor lightheaded. He wanted to get up, he wanted to fight, he... Couldn't feel his legs.

There was a light and a blurred human silhouette coming out of it. Geralt was yelling something, he couldn't tell what. But then... it just stopped. And then the light disappeared.

While he struggled to get up, the golem moved towards him, it's flail swaying back and forth on long chain. Suddenly he heard a loud crack. Mindless monster was completely unfazed and took another step, and then whole floor collapsed and fell down to the basement.

~

" _ Master! We've found him! _ " old man's telecommunicator spoke up.

"You've found the witcher? Where?"

" _ In, ugh, in basement, Sir. Under some rubble. _ "

"Have you seen him?"

" _ No Sir, I'm about- Holy fuck! _ "

"What's happening?"

" _ Wha-What happ-Oh. Oh gods. He's- _ "

"What is happening down there?!"

A moment of silence.

" _ He's still alive... _ "


End file.
